


Amphibian Man X Reader – A Joining of Worlds

by writeyouin



Category: The Shape of Water (2017)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Halloween, M/M, Reader Insert, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-08 22:46:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16438292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writeyouin/pseuds/writeyouin
Summary: Request: If you are up for it how about something for The Shape of Water where she use Halloween as an opportunity to show the ‘Asset/River God/Amphibious Man’ (I hate that he doesn’t have a name or real title -_-) some of the wonders of her world and treat him to some nice experiences for once.





	Amphibian Man X Reader – A Joining of Worlds

You glanced down at the dark water of the bayou from your boat, unable to see into the depths below, where you hoped your amphibious friend was somewhere nearby. He was truly an unusual creature; the likes of which you’d never seen, or even believed could exist past your wildest imaginings.

You’d met him a few years ago, in the very spot where you were anchored now. Back then you had been lucky, for after falling off your boat and getting tangled in the bayou’s underwater plant-life, he saved you from drowning. You never knew why he chose to save you, especially since he didn’t have any reason to trust a human; you’d seen the faded scars that hinted at electrocution and you doubted anyone, but a human had been so cruel as to inflict them.

After his rescue, he left you on your boat, diving quickly back into the murky depths; you hadn’t been in any condition to thank him at the time, but soon after, you started sailing to the same spot whenever you could in the hopes you’d see him again. It took months of waiting before he finally appeared again to observe you from afar, but you had a feeling that he’d been watching you from a hidden place for much longer. The two of you would often observe one-another from afar, neither straying from your respective worlds, yet simultaneously unwilling to leave the other’s. It took a lot of work to be able to call the amphibian man your friend.

You started the arduous task of friendship by talking to him. It soon became clear that he wouldn’t, or perhaps couldn’t talk back, but he seemed to get the gist of what you were saying; perhaps he had spent a lot of time observing other people to fully understand the English language, though you wondered how from the remote bayou. Shortly after you started talking, the creature raised his hands out of the water, making a mysterious gesture at you. You hadn’t the faintest idea what it meant, and you never once realised that he could be trying to communicate in a way you’d understand until finally, you saw someone in the human world use the same gesture. Frantically, you ran to the child doing it, asking her mother what it meant. As it turned out, she was asking her mother whether there would be eggs at the family picnic. Soon after, everything with the amphibious man started falling into place. You took dozens of eggs to him, which he instantly rejected, finding something wrong with what you were bringing, and repeating his gesture. You became more and more frustrated, until finally you tried something new, cooking the eggs in different ways until you found it was boiled eggs he adored so much.

From boiled eggs, the mutual trust between the two of you grew, until one day, he climbed gracefully from his river home, onto your boat. Initially, you were nervous of his close proximity, even though it’s what you wanted from the start. Any sudden movement from either one of you would send the other into a panic, but eventually, familiarity bonded you both.

Now, you waited for any sign of him, hoping that tonight wouldn’t be one of the times he didn’t show up, because you had something important to ask him and the sooner you could ask, the better. He usually came about near nightfall when there would be no risk of anyone else spotting him. Until then, you would simply have to wait and listen to the sounds of the bayou around you; the swaying branches of the trees, the croaking frogs, insects buzzing overhead, and the rippling water… rippling water? You smiled as the amphibian man climbed aboard your vessel, practically glowing.

“Hello friend,” You smiled, signing what you said, even though you knew he understood you perfectly. Although you longed for something else to call him, friend was all you had; you couldn’t possibly hold him to human standards, besides, he wasn’t yours to name.

He mirrored your actions, extending the same courtesy. ‘ _You have been good?_ ’ He asked through webbed hands.

You nodded, ‘ _Very. And you?_ ’

‘ _Very._ ’

Now that the pleasantries were out of the way, the amphibian man walked over to you, crouching by your side to play with your hair; yet another human thing he had a fascination with.

‘ _I have something to ask of you, friend._ ’

The creature didn’t sign anything back; he didn’t have to when he stared at you with curious black eyes that said it all.

‘ _Soon there will be a…’_ You faltered, not knowing the sign-language for what you had to ask. You switched back to the use of your voice, glad that he understood that as clearly as he did your hands. “Do you know what a festival is?”

He mimed something to you that you couldn’t translate. You sighed, getting up to retrieve your sign-language book from the cabin. It took a while of flicking through and asking your friend to repeat the motion, but eventually you found he was asking if a festival was the same as a ritual.

You chuckled, “No, not um- not a ritual. It’s more like a celebration. This festival happens once a year and the people from my species gather to celebrate well… I suppose now it’s to celebrate all things different. It’s kind of hard to explain.”

‘ _Why?_ ’

“Why do they celebrate?”

He grunted affirmation, his gills moving lightly in the night air.

“I suppose… because it’s fun and brings about a sense of community. None of that really matters though. What I really want to ask is… is… Will you come with me, so I can show you?”

The amphibian man took a moment to realise you were asking him to walk among humans; the same humans who had so cruelly tortured him in those years gone by. He screamed at you and you cowered away, covering your ears. With a final snarl, he dived back into his watery home, leaving you alone once again.

* * *

Ten days till Halloween and the amphibian man still hadn’t returned to your usual meeting place since your last altercation. Nine days. Eight. Seven. Maybe he’d never return. Six. Five. Did he hate you now? Four. Three. You probably shouldn’t have asked in the first place, it was too much for him. Two. One.

Halloween night finally arrived, and you bobbed on the bayou’s waters, hoping you hadn’t lost your friend forever with one silly request. You sagged somewhat sadly and disappeared below deck to grab your costume. Ignoring the freezing October air, you got changed on the deck, transforming yourself into an amphibious person, just like him. As you did this, you heard the ripples of water and a light thud as your friend climbed aboard.

Hi subvocals chirped curiously as he took in your well-made costume that matched his skin in colour and pattern except for your head which you hadn’t done yet.

‘ _How?_ ’ He signed, standing tall and tilting his head to examine you.

You didn’t think he’d understand the word costume so instead you replied, “Disguise.”

‘ _For celebration?_ ’

“Yes, I hope you don’t mind that I modelled myself after you. Anyway, once I disguise my face, I’m going to the mainland. I just wanted to see that you were okay… You did stay away for quite a while.”

His gills flared and he hissed in retaliation, indicating that you were the one in the wrong.

You sighed, “Okay, I suppose it was partially my fault.”

He hissed again.

“Alright,  **all**  my fault. I’m sorry that you aren’t going but maybe you will next time.”

‘ _Human clan evil,_ ’ He signed forcefully.

“Not all of us,” You argued quietly.

‘ _Don’t go to ritual._ ’

“Why not?”

He growled lowly, gesturing to your outfit and making you frown until he elaborated, ‘ _You’ll be killed._ ’

Although the Amphibian man’s fear disturbed you, you had to show him that you would be safe by returning after a night of festivities.  “No,” You shook your head, “tonight is safe for this.”

He huffed, malcontent with the situation, then reluctantly he signed, ‘ _I’ll go_.’

Your eyes lit up excitedly, “Really?”

‘ _Must protect you._ ’

You didn’t know what to say. He had the strength to forcibly keep you back, yet he was trusting you enough to go anyway, even at the risk of his own safety; it was more than you could have hoped for. You hugged him warmly around the waist, mildly surprised when he responded in kind; for him, you would make this the perfect night.

* * *

It took some negotiating, but eventually the two of you came up with the perfect compromise. He was to go and ‘ _protect_ ’ you so long as you promised that the two of you would always remain near water  in case he needed to make a quick escape with you in tow.

With fully donned makeup, you took your boat from the bayou, into a harbour closer to a small town you resided in. With the amphibian man in tow, you remained on the outskirts of town as he took in the first few costumed people he’d seen beside yourself. He crowed his confusion at the sight of a witch, a spaceman, and a werewolf that walked past him, completely ignoring him as they headed into town.

‘ _Disguises,_ ’ You explained, letting your hands do the talking.

As you wandered closer to where the big parties were being held, you expected your friend to be afraid of the bright lights and growing noises. Instead, he took the time to inspect them, curious but not the least bit scared; you had a feeling that he’d perhaps seen more of the human world than you’d first guessed.

A few kids ran past him, playing a game of tag. He stepped back warily, tilting his head and waiting for you to react. You giggled warmly, reaching out for his hand. “Relax,” You smiled, “Tonight, you blend in completely.”

Although he couldn’t intertwine his fingers between yours because of the webbing, he did release his fist, demonstrating his trust once again. Slowly, you led him to a nearby town square which was holding a street party.

Stalls lined the sides, selling various treats and you delighted in the sweet scents of apple cider, popcorn, and toffee apples that perfumed the air. Various pumpkin lanterns added dim light to the area, creating the perfect ambiance for the chilly night. A live band performed on a wooden stage, singing some slow song you didn’t know but enjoyed anyway as couples slow-danced to the peaceful music.

The amphibian man trilled, watching them intently. He freed his hand from yours to communicate, ‘ _Mating?_ ’

You knew the question was innocent in intent, yet you couldn’t help the blush that came, though fortunately your heavy makeup hid it. “No, it’s dancing… You know what dancing is, right?”

The creature hummed contemplatively. He remembered dancing with Elisa many moons past, but had that not been part of human courtship? He thought it was but perhaps the strange non-aquatics danced on more than one occasion.

He held out his hand, offering it to you as another slow tune filled the air. You bit back surprise, grabbing his hand and letting him lead you to the other dancers where he took you in his arms, moving surprisingly well and reminding you of his grace and agility. Had you been dancing with anyone else, you would have had to check your feet, seeing as you weren’t very practiced, but your friend was a good partner, leading you with much more expertise than you could have hoped for.

You leaned into him, resting your head on his shoulder and whispering, “Thank you. For trusting me I mean.”

Although you couldn’t hear his sub-vocals now, you felt them vibrate through his chest, much like a cat purring; evidently, he was listening intently.

“I can’t say I know what you’ve been through in your life… only that we, uh, my clan, hasn’t always been kind to you. I can’t promise you that that’s ever going to change but maybe… maybe we can just have this night to… to join each other’s worlds.”

Although you never expected anything to come of your little speech, except for maybe a nod of acceptance or something among those lines, the creature stopped dancing, examining you with a gaze so intense, you were sure he could see every thought you’d ever had. You swallowed apprehensively, wondering what exactly you’d said that made him look at you with such focus and whether it was a bad thing. Slowly, but with much intent, the creature brought your hand to his lips, having seen this on the moving picture box when he was with Elisa. Perhaps dancing wasn’t critical to courtship, but this was, and he wanted you to know his mind as much as he’d come to know yours.

You melted into the touch, sure that in a moment it could end. Evidently, Halloween lived up to its reputation as a night of wonders.


End file.
